Self-Driving, Automated Trucks Could Hit The Road Sooner Than Self-Driving Cars : All Tech ConsideredDespite being self-driving, big rigs will still need truckers to ride along and take control of in case of emergency situations. But some say they may be the last generation to do their jobs.

The ride-hailing company Uber is testing out self-driving taxis on the streets of Pittsburgh, and you can find self-driving cars on some Silicon Valley campuses. But as NPR's Uri Berliner reports when it comes to more autonomous driving, these cars are just part of the story.

RUSTY TODD: Yeah, yeah. Well, then I'm going to be without a job (laughter).

BERLINER: That's Rusty Todd, a trucker I met at a truck stop Jessup, Md., outside of Baltimore. Todd's joking - kind of, sort of. He's not worried about losing his job to a robot driver anytime soon, but what he's hearing about self-driving trucks makes him a bit nervous.

TODD: Guys, not all systems are perfect. I mean, not all computers are perfect. They're doing it with the cars. Yeah, I can agree with that 'cause car doesn't weigh as much as these things do. These things are heavy.

BERLINER: Todd's right about the self-driving cars you see here and there, but the big shift to self-driving vehicles may happen first on America's interstates in big rigs, not in fancy electric cars.

ALAIN KORNHAUSER: It could likely be that it would happen en masse faster in trucks than they would in cars.

BERLINER: Alan corn Houser heads the Autonomous Vehicle Engineering program at Princeton. He says long haul trucks are well suited for self-driving technology. Trucks logged most of their miles on the highways, and on highways...

KORNHAUSER: ...The self-driving is easy.

BERLINER: Easy because highways are pretty orderly. The lanes are well-marked. The roadways are smooth. No pedestrians or bicycles. No kids playing ball. Kornhauser expects we'll see plenty of self-driving trucks within a decade, but he says that doesn't mean driverless. A trucker will still be in the cab, probably in the driver's seat, ready to take control if something goes wrong. And he thinks it'll make the lives of truckers safer and less stressful.

KORNHAUSER: They can have all sorts of screens in front of them to do whatever things they need to do. And instead of being stuck in some cubicle in some building with no windows to look out, they have a perfect view of the world as they're traveling down the road.

BERLINER: Kornheiser is optimistic about this future, which makes sense because he has a company working on automation for trucks. And the other companies developing this technology are all sending the same message. Truckers, your jobs will be less dangerous, and they won't go away, at least for the foreseeable future. But the technology that makes them safer could eventually make truckers obsolete.

BERLINER: Rush is 30, and he's been a trucker for two years. He's enjoying life on the road.

RUSH: So far I like it a lot.

RUSH: What do you like about it?

RUSH: I never got to travel too much. I've seen every state now, and every time I've finished a load, I have no idea where I'm going next. It keeps things different.

BERLINER: Rush is watching the automation of driving with mixed emotions.

RUSH: I'm all for it. I mean, it'd save lives. It'd save pollution, you know. It wouldn't be a lot of wasted time. But it would suck. I really think I'm probably one of the last generations of truckers. I don't think it'll be around for my kids or my grandkids, but fun to try it while it's still here.

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